People: Brabners; GSC Grays; Gordons; and more
Independent law firm, Brabners, has recruited new partner Debbie Heald as it further strengthens its family team to support growing demand from business owners and high net worth individuals in the UK and overseas.
A former partner at Stowe Family Law, Heald brings more than a decade’s experience working for clients on a wide range of family matters.
Her experience includes child arrangement disputes, divorce and financial arrangements concerning the personal and business assets of married and unmarried couples.
Based in Brabners’ Leeds office, she will work alongside senior members of Brabners’ family team in Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire to grow the service offering in the Yorkshire region – including supporting the family-legal needs of business owners that already engage Brabners’ for legal services like corporate, commercial, employment, litigation and real estate.
Heald said: “Family law continues to be challenging to navigate – particularly given the changing needs of modern families, which often outpace the speed at which legislation evolves.
“At the same time, court backlogs continue to be an important factor as families seek swift resolutions that protect the financial and mental wellbeing of all involved.
“Interventions like no-fault divorce have simplified processes, but almost two years on from its introduction we are increasingly seeing scenarios where retrospective action is needed to properly account for complex financial arrangements.
“This makes the guidance of a trusted advisor – supported by a team of specialists – incredibly important in finding amicable solutions that provide future protection for families.”
Nik White, managing partner, added: “Our Brabners Personal practice continues to be a leading voice on family matters, with our team working to support positive outcomes for high profile and high net worth individuals in cases that sometimes involve multiple international jurisdictions.
“As we look to further invest in and grow the practice, Debbie will boost not only our ability to make the difference to clients but also provide additional leadership within the team.
“We’re committed to investing in the team’s future growth and will continue to attract more talented specialists like Debbie who are looking to thrive in our ambitious, purpose-led culture, with the next Leeds based team member due to arrive in the coming weeks.”
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James Denne has joined rural land and property specialist, GSC Grays, adding his more than 25 years’ experience as a property consultant in the North of England and the Scottish Borders to the company’s expansion plans.
He started his working life in the Scottish Borders before moving to Knight Frank where he became a partner and headed the Borders Office while also dealing with properties in Northumberland, Cumbria and The Lake District.
He said: “I am thrilled to have joined GSC Grays’ dynamic agency team handling the sale and acquisition of prime rural property, including farms, estates and country houses throughout the whole of the north of England and the Scottish Borders.”
Guy Coggrave, managing director, said: “We are pleased to welcome James at what is exciting and challenging time for us with our ambitious expansion plans designed to deliver our expertise to an ever increasing number of clients.
“What sets us apart is that our offices are staffed by experts like James who have extensive knowledge of the local area.
“We are proud to enjoy multiple generation relationships with many of our clients, demonstrating the strength and trust in the bonds we create.
GSC Grays employs more than 120 staff in 10 offices throughout Yorkshire, Cumbria and the North East.
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Bradford and Leeds-based law firm, Gordons, has appointed three new solicitors to further strengthen its commercial teams.
Ed Strudwick, Brogan Ward and Ibrahim Alyas have joined the firm’s commercial litigation, commercial property and construction teams respectively.
Strudwick completed his training at Gordons and qualified as a solicitor in 2017. He returns to the firm after previously working at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Managing partner, Victoria Davey, said: “We are a progressive law firm that wants to create opportunities for people with the right attitude and ability to be successful, no matter what role they have within our business.
“We recruit and retain according to these values, and in Ed, Brogan and Ibrahim we have three solicitors who meet these criteria and who have the ambition and determination to succeed with Gordons.
“We are particularly pleased to welcome Ed back, and we look forward to all three of them fulfilling their full potential with the firm.”
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Leeds-based transport technology company, Tracsis, is making changes to its Board of Directors as part of long-term succession planning.
Ross Paterson will join the Board as a non-executive director on 2 April 2024. He is a former chief financial officer of Stagecoach Group and non-executive director of Virgin Rail Group.
He has extensive experience of managing finance & risk and delivering strategic growth in an international UK-listed business, and has significant knowledge of the transport sector from his executive career with Stagecoach Group.
He is currently a non-executive director and Audit & Risk Committee chair of FTSE 100 company, The Unite Group plc. And he is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Liz Richards will step down from the Tracsis Board on 30 June 2024. She joined the Board in September 2016 and has been chair of the Audit Committee since that date. Paterson will succeed her as chair of the Audit Committee on 30 June 2024.
Jill Easterbrook, non-executive chair of Tracsis, said: “On behalf of the Board and everyone at Tracsis I would like to thank Liz for her significant contribution to Tracsis’ success and growth over the last eight years, including her assured leadership of the Audit Committee.
“I look forward to welcoming Ross, who brings a wealth of experience and is a great fit with our business.”
